[My new book] starts in 1960 with a woman named Lois Rabinowitz, who was evicted from Manhattan traffic court for attempting to pay a parking ticket while wearing slacks. This was...
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Funny, thoughtful, and deeply affecting. This is, first, a memoir about how a baby-boomer only child deals with the death of both of his parents, and there are valuable ruminations about dealing with both the practical and emotional impact surrounding death and dying. Second, more enjoyably, it is a memoir about living with great people, and it makes the humorous and affectionate point that the things that make great people great can be incredibly annoying when you live with them every day.
A perceptive and comprehensive look at the elusive man one heartbeat away from the presidency. Gellman's reporting is astonishing, compiling the bits and pieces of Vice President Cheney's actions and writings into a coherent portrait of a man driven by a deep devotion to secrecy and loyalty, a philosophical attachment to extensive executive power, and a fear of catastrophe so great that he is willing to sacrifice law and peace to defend against it. This book is only competently written, but dazzlingly reported. Indispensable to understanding the man.
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(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
An incomparable book about the life of a player in today’s NFL. Fatsis undergoes the preparation needed to play in the NFL, earning the respect and trust of his new teammates. And by describing that regimen with perception and vividness he allows the reader to experience the life of an NFL player: the boredom and intensity, the hard work and goofing around, the things players can control and the things they can’t. He experiences the difference between performing in practice and performing under pressure. He experiences the arbitrary forces that lead teams to sign, cut, and re-sign players, as well as the rigidity that led to the nickname No Fun League. He experiences the disconnection between the players’ lived experience and the media’s reports of it, and shows the reader why players are so far removed from fans. Happily, Fatsis is able to recognize and describe the forces that separate the insiders from the outsiders in an engaging and engrossing manner. Today’s NFL is very different from the NFL described by George Plimpton in his classic Paper Lion, and this book is a worthy successor. It may even be a better book. A Few Seconds of Panic deserves the widest possible audience: fans, of course, but also athletes, coaches, and the media.
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(2 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
I'm a huge fan of Child and Reacher (see my review of "Bad Luck and Trouble"). But this is the first time I've felt that Child has done anything other than outdo himself. Fans will like it fine, but it lacks the suspense-in-overdrive of most other books in the series. Still, even a subpar Reacher novel is better than most suspense novels.
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(4 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
I thought this book was hilarious, and I've never seen a single episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond." It's a funny look at how writers transform their experiences into entertainment -- and yes, even art -- that touches the souls of performers and audience members. Rosenthal's personal experiences also illustrate the enormous role that luck and persistence play in "breaking in" to Hollywood. I suspect fans of the show will enjoy the book, too.
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(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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Dr. Rico has commented on (22) products.
Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley
Dr. Rico, October 15, 2009
Funny, thoughtful, and deeply affecting. This is, first, a memoir about how a baby-boomer only child deals with the death of both of his parents, and there are valuable ruminations about dealing with both the practical and emotional impact surrounding death and dying. Second, more enjoyably, it is a memoir about living with great people, and it makes the humorous and affectionate point that the things that make great people great can be incredibly annoying when you live with them every day.Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Barton Gellman
Dr. Rico, December 11, 2008
A perceptive and comprehensive look at the elusive man one heartbeat away from the presidency. Gellman's reporting is astonishing, compiling the bits and pieces of Vice President Cheney's actions and writings into a coherent portrait of a man driven by a deep devotion to secrecy and loyalty, a philosophical attachment to extensive executive power, and a fear of catastrophe so great that he is willing to sacrifice law and peace to defend against it. This book is only competently written, but dazzlingly reported. Indispensable to understanding the man.(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL by Stefan Fatsis
Dr. Rico, October 9, 2008
An incomparable book about the life of a player in today’s NFL. Fatsis undergoes the preparation needed to play in the NFL, earning the respect and trust of his new teammates. And by describing that regimen with perception and vividness he allows the reader to experience the life of an NFL player: the boredom and intensity, the hard work and goofing around, the things players can control and the things they can’t. He experiences the difference between performing in practice and performing under pressure. He experiences the arbitrary forces that lead teams to sign, cut, and re-sign players, as well as the rigidity that led to the nickname No Fun League. He experiences the disconnection between the players’ lived experience and the media’s reports of it, and shows the reader why players are so far removed from fans. Happily, Fatsis is able to recognize and describe the forces that separate the insiders from the outsiders in an engaging and engrossing manner. Today’s NFL is very different from the NFL described by George Plimpton in his classic Paper Lion, and this book is a worthy successor. It may even be a better book. A Few Seconds of Panic deserves the widest possible audience: fans, of course, but also athletes, coaches, and the media.(2 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Nothing to Lose: A Jack Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels #12) by Lee Child
Dr. Rico, July 29, 2008
I'm a huge fan of Child and Reacher (see my review of "Bad Luck and Trouble"). But this is the first time I've felt that Child has done anything other than outdo himself. Fans will like it fine, but it lacks the suspense-in-overdrive of most other books in the series. Still, even a subpar Reacher novel is better than most suspense novels.(4 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom by Phil Rosenthal
Dr. Rico, July 29, 2008
I thought this book was hilarious, and I've never seen a single episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond." It's a funny look at how writers transform their experiences into entertainment -- and yes, even art -- that touches the souls of performers and audience members. Rosenthal's personal experiences also illustrate the enormous role that luck and persistence play in "breaking in" to Hollywood. I suspect fans of the show will enjoy the book, too.(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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